At the present time, in-ground swimming pools are generally made through either of two techniques. In the first technique a large hole is excavated in the ground where the swimming pool is desired. The hole is then lined with reinforcing rods and wire and a cement mixture is forced into the reinforcing structure to form the in-ground swimming pool. The top edge of the in-ground pool is usually covered with tile to enhance the overall appearance of the pool. After the pool is completed, a cement deck is usually laid around it to help keep the water clean. This is a very expensive construction technique.
In the second technique, a hole is excavated for the pool and a ledge is formed about two to four feet down from the top of the excavation. The ledge is lined with panels of fiberglass reinforced plastic, structural foam plastic, wood or metal which are joined together and then braced. Stakes are shipped separately from the pool walls and are secured to the pool walls on the job site. They extend perpendicularly away from the walls and have some type of stake receiving anchor at an end remote from the wall. A stake is driven into the ground, through the stake receiving anchor. The wall is usually aligned and the brace and anchor then fixed against relative movement. The walls are then back filled around the bracing. A flexible liner, usually of a vinyl plastic, is then drawn across the pool area confined within the walls. A concrete apron or wooden deck is then assembled around the top edge of the pool walls, extending away from the pool walls over the back fill area.
In an attempt to improve the appearance of the finished flexible lined pools, tile patterns have been printed on the pool liner. While this has an attractive appearance, it is not the same as having actual tile pieces mounted about the edge of the pool. In an attempt to accomplish the latter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,198, issued Dec. 21, 1971, to Katzman disclosed a panel which could be snap-fitted into a recess along the top edge of the swimming pool. The panel hung down into the water and substantially improved the appearance of the pool. A serious problem was found, however, in that motion in the pool caused the water to rise behind the panel causing it to flap or swing out away from the wall. This obviously presented a problem in that people going in and out of the pool had to be concerned about the decorative panel and the decorative panel itself was object to failure due to the uncontrolled motion. Children often played with the loose panels and occasionally pulled them free breaking the decorative tiles. The panel also tended to stick out into the pool where it passed over high spots on the inner wall. Also, dirt and algae tended to collect behind the decorative tile panel and extend down onto the pool wall below the tile panel.